Atakan Karazor
German-born Turkish footballer (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atakan Karazor (born 13 October 1996)[2] is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and captains Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.[3] Born in Germany, he plays for the Turkey national team.
|
Karazor with VfB Stuttgart in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 October 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Essen, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2012 | Schwarz-Weiß Essen | ||
| 2012–2015 | VfL Bochum | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Borussia Dortmund II | 59 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Holstein Kiel II | 7 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Holstein Kiel | 26 | (2) |
| 2019– | VfB Stuttgart | 183 | (4) |
| 2020 | VfB Stuttgart II | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Turkey | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
He began his senior career at Borussia Dortmund II in the Regionalliga West before playing for Holstein Kiel for two seasons in the 2. Bundesliga. In 2019, he joined Stuttgart,[4] where he won promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season.[4]
Club career
Early years
Born in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia,[2] Karazor played as a youth for local Schwarz-Weiß Essen and VfL Bochum.[2]
In 2015, Karazor joined Borussia Dortmund, where he made his senior debut with the reserve team in the Regionalliga West, playing 59 games over two seasons and scoring on 4 October 2015 in a 2–0 win at 1. FC Köln II.[5]
Holstein Kiel
In June 2017, Karazor left his native region and signed for Holstein Kiel in the 2. Bundesliga on a three-year deal.[6] He injured his ankle ligaments in pre-season, recovering to make the squad in November,[7] before making his professional debut on 23 January by starting in a 2–2 home draw with 1. FC Union Berlin.[8] He scored his first professional goals in 2018–19, equalising in a draw of the same score against SpVgg Greuther Fürth at the Holstein-Stadion on 17 February,[9] and in a 1–1 draw away to FC Ingolstadt 04 on 14 April.[10]
VfB Stuttgart
In May 2019, it was announced Karazor would move to VfB Stuttgart on a contract until 2023.[11][12] The transfer fee paid to Kiel was reported as about €1 million[11] or €800,000.[12] He played 23 games in his first season as the team won promotion to the Bundesliga as runners-up, and he scored twice on 21 June 2020 in a 6–0 win at 1. FC Nürnberg.[13] Karazor made his top-flight debut on 3 October 2020 in a 1–1 draw at home to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, as an 84th-minute substitute for Daniel Didavi.[14] On 24 October the following year, he was sent off for the first time in his career in a game of the same score against Union Berlin at the Mercedes-Benz Arena for two yellow cards in the space of 35 seconds.[15]
On 19 May 2022, Karazor extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart until June 2026.[16] He returned to training and playing after his arrest and bail in Spain over the summer; the decision for the club to play him was endorsed by sporting director Sven Mislintat who cited the presumption of innocence.[17] On 12 June 2024, Karazor and VfB Stuttgart extended his contract with the club until June 2028.[18] In the summer of 2024, he became the new captain of VfB Stuttgart.[19]
International career
Karazor was eligible to represent Germany or Turkey at international level, and ended up choosing the latter.[20]
On 14 March 2025, Karazor was called up by Vincenzo Montella to the Turkey national team for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs against Hungary.[21] He made his debut for Turkey on 15 November 2025 against Bulgaria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[22]
Personal life
Born in Germany, Karazor is of Turkish descent.[23]
On 11 June 2022, VfB Stuttgart confirmed via the club's website that Karazor had been arrested while on holiday in Ibiza.[24] He was remanded in custody while investigations continue; Spanish law permits a maximum of two years' pre-trial detention.[25] On 21 July, he was released after paying €50,000 in bail and permitted to leave Spain, due to Germany's law enforcement cooperation with Spain and his professional career presenting a low risk of absconding to a third country.[26][27][28]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 12 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Other | Total | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Borussia Dortmund II | 2015–16 | Regionalliga West | 30 | 1 | — | — | — | 30 | 1 | [29] | |||
| 2016–17 | Regionalliga West | 29 | 0 | — | — | — | 29 | 0 | [29] | ||||
| Total | 59 | 1 | — | — | — | 59 | 1 | — | |||||
| Holstein Kiel | 2017–18 | 2. Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | [29] | ||
| 2018–19 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 2 | [29] | |||
| Total | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | — | ||||
| Holstein Kiel II | 2017–18 | Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | [29] | |||
| 2018–19 | Regionalliga Nord | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | [29] | ||||
| Total | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | — | |||||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2019–20 | 2. Bundesliga | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | [29] | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | [29] | |||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | [29] | |||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 35 | 0 | [29] | ||
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 | [29] | |||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 32 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 7[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 46 | 3 | [29] | |
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 23 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9[d] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 37 | 2 | [29] | |
| Total | 183 | 4 | 21 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 224 | 7 | — | ||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2020–21 | Regionalliga Südwest | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | [29] | |||
| Career total | 277 | 8 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 320 | 11 | — | ||
- Appearances in Bundesliga relegation play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Franz Beckenbauer Supercup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 18 November 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | |||
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
